(Updated) “The Experience Is Mind-Blowing”: The Press Goes Hands-On with Max Payne 3 for the First Time

** UPDATE: More hands-on impressions have hit including previews from IGN and GameTrailers and a special fan Q&A with GameSpot, check out quotes and links and the video added below.

The worldwide gaming press got their very first hands-on session with Max Payne 3 - picking up the story early on, they find Max and his partner Passos meeting up with the ruthless Comando Sombra gang at a local football stadium in an attempt to exchange cash for the captive Fabiana Branco. However, things quickly turn bad as the deal is crashed by unknown assailants. From there, they’re also given a taste of a level where Max tracks Fabiana's kidnappers to the hostile, rain-soaked docks by the Tietê River...

Their impressions? Check out a few quotes and links below to read just a few of the brand new previews...

"It's easy to be impressed when you're standing on the outside looking in. Once you're actually in control in Max Payne 3, the experience is mind-blowing." - CVG

"The game looks fantastic, handles beautifully and the depth of content in both its in-game design and settings seems to offer a ton of replay value. Not only that, its story, which is set up in such a straightforward manner, seems to hint that intriguing denouement is on the cards for the game's titular character. Players should look forward to a tale of greed, betrayal and decadence wrapped in sleek, cool mechanics that allow them to tackle it one bullet at a time." - The Guardian

“Bullet-time, and especially the shootdodge mechanic that you can initiate by running in any direction and pressing the right bumper, can be a glory to behold. After jumping back into the game to finish the docks segment, I came away from the whole experience incredibly pumped for what Max Payne 3 will have to offer. With a cohesive storyline that's told in a similar but more evolved fashion and tight combat mechanics that make you feel like the bad-ass that Max Payne always has been, I sincerely cannot wait until this game comes out in May.” - Destructoid

“After just a few demonstrations, we've learned that Max Payne 3 is something more than just a shooter; it's a graphical powerhouse, a push forward for linear action games as a storytelling medium and an expert at concealing its gleeful enthusiasm for realistic hyperviolence behind a veneer of grim resolve. After playing through a couple of its levels, we learned something else: it's also a lot of vicious, bloody fun...” - GamesRadar

“Max Payne 3's cinematic approach works brilliantly, and though much of what we've seen so far is set in South America, the demo implied that these chapters will be interspersed with episodes from Max's tortured past in New York. He's always been a compelling protagonist, and it'll be fascinating to see him explored further.” - IGN

“The third Max Payne, the first in more than eight years, is raw, third-person shooter thrills. Naturally, it's imbued with the cinematic flair for which Rockstar is known, drawing cues from Hollywood and Hong Kong cinema, crafting memorable characters and an engrossing story.” - GameTrailers

And the guys from GameSpot have taken their hands-on time with the game and used it to answer fan questions on a wide range of subjects ranging from the fluidity of combat to the cover system to the Max’s fish-out-of-water story. Watch the entire clip here:

I have recently purchased the "MAX PAYNE3'" in INDia. The game is perfectly working in my desktop with Intel Dual core processor and 2GB RAM and a 1GB Graphics card. However when I am loading the same game to my Lenovo Laptop with Intel Corei5 2430, 4Gb RAM with Nvidia Gefore GT 540 graphics card with 2gb VRAM, the loading is completing smoothly with automatic downloading of the necessary patches. However the fails to start at all. pleae let me know the reason for the failure. you can mail me at sersol2009@gmail.com

I have recently purchased the "MAX PAYNE3'" in INDia. The game is perfectly working in my desktop with Intel Dual core processor and 2GB RAM and a 1GB Graphics card. However when I am loading the same game to my Lenovo Laptop with Intel Corei5 2430, 4Gb RAM with Nvidia Gefore GT 540 graphics card with 2gb VRAM, the loading is completing smoothly with automatic downloading of the necessary patches. However the fails to start at all. pleae let me know the reason for the failure. you can mail me at sersol2009@gmail.com

Does it appearance looks like actual PC controls (like in max payne 1 & 2).I mean that in some games which main platform isn't PC there is appearance like Xbox has like circled A,B,C,D ,RT,LT and so on.. for movement,shooting,jumping and And it doesn't show which is actual action button ( ex. crouch) on my keyboard.

For example let's say my keyboard button for crouching is "RCtrl" but in menu or in game(?) it's says my button for crouching is circled A (XBOX appearance).Sorry for my bad english but I hope you all understood me.

hey i asked a question earlier but u guys (Rockstar Games Production) didnt give me an answer so imma ask again...Whats with the strong sexual content on Max Payne 3? And how is there sexual content whe theres really not any Nudity instead of partial nudity..im beginning to wonder can u guys answer that. Is there like a sex scene in the game or is it something u guys put in every one of your games? I know your being aware of your games. But anyways thats all what I wanted to ask. Thank God you guys for finally coming out with a release date for this game. I wanted to play it ever since i saw it in gameinformer..but you guys made me angry by delaying it -_-. Gotta love max payne. Peace out!!!

Rockstar, I'm brazilian and live in São Paulo and wanted to know... besides the already-mentioned soccer stadium (clearly based on Morumbi stadium), the Tietê River, and of course, the favelas, what will be the other locations of the city featured in the game? Will it have other famous places, such as the Estaiada bridge, the Paulista Avenue, and so on? Thank You, looking forward do the game. :D

f**k YEAH WHAT THE f**k, THANK YOU SOO SO SOS SO SO MUCH WITH ALL MY f**kING HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I AM SO MOTHER f**kING EXCITED!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

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